Coming off a blowout loss in Allen Fieldhouse against a motivated Kansas team that had lost three straight games for the first time since 2007, No. 10 Kansas State played some of its best basketball all season in an 81-61 victory over Baylor in Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats sizzled from beyond the arc, hitting 11 3s, tied for the most this season. The last time that happened? Against Lamar back in November. Shane Southwell hit six of those 3s, shooting 66.7 percent from long range.

As good as Southwell was, his performance did not top the list. That distinction went to Angel Rodriguez, who scored 22 points and dished 10 assists. Jordan Henriquez also had a huge game, chipping in 10 points and 10 rebounds and looking almost completely recovered from the “hands of stone” syndrome that had plagued him in recent games.

The Wildcats’ defensive effort also deserved mention. Kansas State forced 19 turnovers and scored 22 points off the Bears’ mistakes. Baylor’s Pierre Jackson, who was leading the Big 12 in scoring with 18.9 points per game, came away with just seven points.

Baylor fought to within 43-41 with a little more than 12 minutes remaining, but Kansas State slammed the door shut.

“We got into the huddle and the first thing that we said was that they punched us, and we have to punch them back,” Rodriguez said. “We responded as a team and started getting shout outs and made positive plays on the offensive end, which got us going. It is hard when you punch somebody and they punch you back. It brings you down, and we brought them down, and it was hard for them to make a run on us.”

Kansas State stayed vigilant offensively and got stops. After mediocre performances on both ends early in the week, the Wildcats rebounded in impressive fashion on Saturday.

The consensus among the Baylor Bears after losing 36-35 to Kansas State on Saturday night was that the Wildcats did not beat them as much as they beat themselves. That’s a common refrain among teams. It’s not necessarily an inaccurate one, depending on the situation, but this time I disagree with the assessment.

Give credit where credit is due: Kansas State – and its defense in particular – bent but did not break and consequently defeated Baylor.

Going into the matchup, junior quarterback and early Heisman candidate Robert Griffin III had 13 touchdowns and 12 incompletions. His offensive line had allowed only three sacks over the course of three games. He throws 30- and 40-yard passes as effortlessly and accurately as if they were little dinks to the sideline. Throughout his career, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is nearly 5:1 – 59 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and he holds 42 records at Baylor. This season in particular, his numbers just boggle the mind.

Yet the Wildcats sacked Griffin five times and hurried him into eight incompletions and an interception. He still passed for 346 yards and five touchdowns, so if this were any other quarterback, the conversation would be what a fantastic game he had. It was a great performance, but it wasn’t enough.

In my opinion, that’s much more of a reflection on Kansas State than it is on Griffin.

The Wildcats got past the Bears’ hulking veteran offensive line and snuffed Griffin out time and time again. They pressured on him, and while he still completed the vast majority of his passes, he looked a bit rattled. At one point he fumbled without being touched by anyone.

Even though he torched the secondary for four touchdown passes of more than 30 yards each, he and Baylor as a whole could not cash in on their longest possession of the game, when they spent almost twice their usual drive time (about four minutes) getting down the field only to miss a field goal.

For the final piece of evidence that 1) the Wildcats contained the Bears and 2) the Kansas State defense is a whole different animal from last season, consider this. Last year, Baylor hung a school-record 638 yards of offense on the Wildcats. In this year’s game, they only amassed 429.

For some reason, no one wants to admit that this Kansas State defense has some serious heart and even some pretty impressive talent. People were skeptical as the team went to Miami, as the team returned to face Baylor, and some are questioning even now, with Missouri coming in this weekend. I’m not sure what will convince everyone that this is a good defense … except, of course, one more win.

But really, that’s okay, because that’s all coach Bill Snyder wants his team thinking about anyway.

Even after a big win at Miami, people doubted Kansas State's defense. After containing the nation's No. 2 offense, they shouldn't be skeptical anymore. (Photo by Charlie Riedel/AP)

The Wildcats may not have 4- of 5-star recruits, but they have heart. I think that’s the only conclusion to which one can come after watching Kansas State surmount deficits week after week – most recently a 9-point fourth quarter hole against Baylor – to go 4-0 to start the season. Here’s my evaluation of the different units in Saturday’s game.

Offense: B+

Collin Klein is not Robert Griffin III, but he had another solid, gritty performance on Saturday, and once again, his team won. He completed 13 of 28 passes – slightly under 50 percent – for 146 yards and threw one interception, but his north-and-south running netted the Wildcats another 113 yards. Running backs John Hubert and Angelo Pease did not gain 100 yards combined, but they complemented each other well and each had a long run and a touchdown. Klein utilized Hubert as a receiver as well as a runner, but he also involved wide receiver Chris Harper and tight end Andre McDonald.

While totaling 356 yards of offense, Kansas State kept Baylor’s offense off the field for 38 minutes and 47 seconds. That did not make the defense’s job easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it helped.

Of course, the Wildcats did not punch the ball in the way they should have, settling for two field goals in the first half. If they can put it in the end zone in those situations, it’s 21-7 going into the second quarter instead of 13-7.

All in all, the team did what it could do – not necessarily to the very best of its abilities, but it moved the ball in a steady, workmanlike manner and got the job done.

Defense: B+

Kansas State gave up numerous big plays to Baylor, who scored touchdowns on a 43-yard pass, 42-yard pass, 35-yard pass and 34-yard pass from Griffin throughout the game. The secondary got outrun on too many occasions than is normally workable. However, the defense also sacked Griffin five times and forced him into eight incompletions and an interception. That interception was just one of the Bear’s three turnovers – the Wildcats also recovered two fumbles by Baylor. They held the Bears’ prolific offense to only 429 yards … a massive improvement from the 638 yards the Wildcats allowed Baylor last season.

There have been skeptics of the Kansas State defense … after the first two games, even after the Miami game. I don’t know how skeptical people can be now, though.

Special Teams: C+

The special teams unit got off to a great start by forcing Baylor to fumble on a kickoff return. However, it waffled throughout the game. Kicker Anthony Cantele made three field goals, including the game-winner. On the other hand, Baylor had decent-to-good field possession on several occasions, including once after Kansas State allowed a 42-yard return.

Griffin runs for a 58-yard touchdown past Washington State's Mike Graise in 2008, in Waco, Texas. What's scary is that Griffin is so much better now than he was then. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

Mention of the last game between Kansas State and No. 15 Baylor likely makes Wildcat fans cringe and Bears fans fondly reminisce. Baylor hung a school-record 638 yards on Kansas State that day, giving Waco a 47-42 happy ending to Homecoming Week. A little less than a year later, the Bears still terrorize defenses. When they come to Manhattan on Saturday, however, the defense across the field (currently ranked No. 6 in the nation) from them probably won’t look very familiar.

With so much having changed from last year to this year, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen in this game. That said, here are some stats that tell you what’s happened to Baylor before during the tenure of coach Art Briles.

Well hello there

I'm Ashley Dunkak, a senior at Kansas State University majoring in journalism and minoring in Spanish and economics. This is my third year covering football and men's basketball for the Associated Press.
Long story short, I love sports, and I love to write about them and talk about them - often.
I graduate in May 2013, so if you or someone you know need to hire a full-time sportswriter beginning that month, please feel free to contact me.